Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 182

October 19, 2020: Join our Dark Matter Episode 3 discussion tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET!

Join us tonight (6:00 p.m. ET) for an in-depth look at Dark Matter Episode 3!

Time Adjustment….

October 18, 2020: Suji Sunday!

Breaking out the fall wardrobe.

Ready to roll!

For Suji, meeting other dogs ranks right up there with visiting the bet and getting her teeth brushed.

Zonked.

Toasty warm.

A reminder to join us tomorrow night for a Dark Matter Episode 3 discussion.

JOIN US…DARK MATTER MONDAY! Plz

October 17, 2020: The Crime Club convenes to discuss Schneider vs Bax!

The day after my birthday and I’m suffering from a bit of a food hangover.  Nevertheless, I pushed through and actually got a little work done today – restructuring the pilot, tweaking the first act, and beating out the pitch for that time travel series we’ll be taking out next week.

So, did anyone check out Schneider vs. Bax, last week’s Crime Club pick?  If you didn’t and were planning on catching up…you might want to sit this one out.

A hitman (Schneider) is hired to kill a man (Bax) living alone in a remote home in the wilderness.  But, in an early twist, we learn that the target has actually been hired to off the hitman who will come gunning for him.  It’s a great premise that ultimately falls flat and the blame lands on some horrendous plotting.  Every twist and turn is predicated on a massive contrivance or ridiculous character motivation.  Let me count the ways…

Bax conveniently forgets this is the day a hitman will be dispatched to kill him and just happens to invite his estranged daughter to visit that afternoon.

The guy who hires Schneider (and tips off Bax) at some point trips and falls and knocks himself out, giving events time to unfold and spiral out of control.

A prostitute happens to find refuge from her violent pimp in the warehouse Schneider uses as a safe house, forcing the hitman to act and, for some reason, take her hostage.

Bax’s father (and his young girlfriend) also happen to choose this particular day to visit him.

The guy who hires Schneider accidentally sends a text to Schneider’s phone intended for Bax, thus idiotically tipping Schneider off to what’s really going on.

For some reason, Bax’s daughter wanders off into the surrounding woods where her grandfather happens to find her and attempts to assault her before she knifes him to death.

Oh, did I mention this movie is supposed to be a comedy?  Well, it’s described as a black comedy but it was devoid of humor – unless, of course, you find idiotic behavior hilarious.

There were so many times while watching this movie that I wondered “Why is this character doing this?” or “Why didn’t he/she do that?”.  Alas, it became readily apparent that the reason “Why?” was because the writer needed them to.  Without these massive coincidences and suspect behavior, he wouldn’t have had a movie.

Let’s see if we can do better next week when the Crime Club reconvenes to discuss Blue Ruin…

 

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October 16, 2020: Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.  Today, I celebrated by taking Suji out for her walks, restructuring a pilot, and thanking people for their birthday messages posted across various social media platforms.  Since it’s also our one year wedding anniversary, Akemi and I upheld tradition by having ramen for lunch.  For dinner, it was dinner from Buca, my favorite restaurant, delivered compliments of sis, Daisy, and mom.

Check out the familiar gift-wrapping on my present.

Between the shipment I received the other day and these, I think I’m good for socks until at least next summer.  Also pictured: my birthday pecan pie and the new building fob I got for my birthday because my old one broke.  Romantic, no?

Alrighty, off to do some birthday things like take Suji out for another walk, watch anime, and eat some tiramisu.  I leave you with some photos from the SGU vault…

 

 

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October 15, 2020: Developments on development! More amazing people with whom I have worked!

The TimEscape conference call that was originally scheduled for this afternoon has been moved to Monday afternoon.  Such is the reality of attempting to find a good time for eight busy people to get on a call.  But, I’ve got a good feeling about Monday’s strategy meeting.  Once we nail down a game plan, it’ll be smooooooooth sailing!

I’ve teamed up with a production company that is seeking to acquire the film & television rights to seminal science fiction book series.  Tuesday, I delivered my concise take for a t.v. series adaptation and, this morning, I received word that the offer had gone out.  Fingers crossed.

I had a conference call today on the other time travel project.  We’re looking to finalize the pitch deck and supporting materials today, then start rehearsing the pitch top of next week.

Had a lot of fun putting together the finishing touches on my series overview for Project F, sourcing some images online to include in the package.  It’s a robust 30 pages but reads quickly.  I’ll be sending it off top of next week.

More amazing people with whom I have worked…

#AmazingPeopleWithWhomIHaveWorked
Ann Featherstone was an art department apprentice on #DarkMatter who has since worked as a 2nd A.D. and a production designer. pic.twitter.com/1zDuoBGlC7

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) October 8, 2020

#AmazingPeopleWithWhomIHaveWorked
Geoff Scovell (@GeoffScovell) was a stunt performer and stunt double on #DarkMatter and #UtopiaFalls, as well as a second unit stunt coordinator on the latter. His most recent work includes #TheBoys, #UmbrellaAcademy, and #WhatWeDoInTheShadows. pic.twitter.com/ODToHvc4wk

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) October 9, 2020

#AmazingPeopleWithWhomIHaveWorked
John MacDonald was our FOX Executive on the very first live action production I ever worked on – #StudentBodies. Smart, supportive, and a genuinely good guy. pic.twitter.com/Vn4hexkziB

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) October 10, 2020

#AmazingPeopleWithWhomIHaveWorked
Tom Hastings is the Director of Drama at Bell Media, Canada's home of #Stargate and #DarkMatter. Smart and literary, he can always be counted on for great creative input and book recommendations! pic.twitter.com/mNvfB8OMD5

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) October 11, 2020

#AmazingPeopleWithWhomIHaveWorked
Doug Pasko (@dougpasko) is one of my partners on a time travel project currently in development. He's an internet innovator, Executive Producer of #TheOutpost, a D&D enthusiast, and an incredibly collaborative creator. pic.twitter.com/ouhHsP0aBi

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) October 12, 2020

The post October 15, 2020: Developments on development! More amazing people with whom I have worked! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

October 14, 2020: Stargate, spaghettification, and special guest star – Chun-Li!

Check out my new sock haul courtesy of sis.

I married Chun-Li!

Yes/No?

October 13, 2020: In case you missed it!

In case you missed it, here’s our Dark Matter Episode 2 rewatch discussion with the gang at Orville Nation  AND super special guest star Roger Cross!

A couple of interesting industry articles I came across today.  The first touches on Netflix’s penchant for cancelling shows before their time…

Netflix has a TV-show problem

In my opinion, this TV-show problem is not limited to Netflix.

Another interesting article discusses the challenges of resuming production during a pandemic…

Fewer first-fights, less sex – TV production gets a Covid makeover

Can it be done?  Honestly, I don’t know.  I’ve heard Vancouver has been very busy – but I’m out of the loop.  I am in the loop in how things are going in Ontario and, from what I’ve heard, not that great.  A number of productions have already been forced to quietly shut down.

Are movie theaters going the way of the dinosaurs?  One would hope not, but…

AMC Theatres could run out of money by the end of the year

It’s sad to imagine a world where all movie-viewing is done online.

From the Stargate vault…

 

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October 12, 2020: Let’s talk Dark Matter Episode 2! Another obstacle! And more amazing people with whom I have worked!

A reminder to join me and the gang at Orville Nation for a discussion of Dark Matter Episode 2 today.  We’ll be joined by super extra special guest star Roger Cross.  So don’t miss it!

Hey Orville Nation! WOW!

October 11, 2020: Suji Sunday!

Laundry day!

The blanket passes the taste test!

It’s that time of year again.

This is the look she gives you after telling a joke.

Cleaning up before dinner…

In case you missed them – yesterday’s Dial the Gate interviews…

Also, tomorrow, get ready for our Dark Matter Episode 2 discussion with the gang at Orville Nation and Special Guest Star Roger Cross!

Inside #DarkMatter Introducing SIX @therogercross WITH @BaronDestructo Don’t forget to watch the episode prior to the interview on Orville Nation https://t.co/26xTdIlnIV… See you all Monday Oct. 12th… 5:30 eastern audio clip pic.twitter.com/pdJsr8dHK3

— StarGate the SGC Gate (@sgcgate) October 11, 2020

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October 10, 2020: The Crime Club convenes to discuss The Confessions!

Before getting into my thoughts on the movie, I just wanted to remind everyone about this…

Tony Amendola is up first today at 5:00 p.m. ET, and I’ll follow at 6:00 p.m.

Tomorrow, it’s Joe Flanigan and the Wyvern Gaming Team.

Should be fun!

At a meeting of G8 Ministers, the head of the IMF, Daniel , invites three curious outsiders to their retreat: a musician, a children’s author, and a priest.  After inviting the priest into his room to receive his confession, Roché is found dead, presumably a victim of suicide.  His fellow ministers are left reeling.  What did Roché confess to the priest?  What does the priest now about their plans?  And was it really suicide?

This movie is described as a philosophical thriller which, in all fairness, sounds like an oxymoron.  And the finished product would seem to bear that out.  The mystery, intriguing at first, becomes increasingly tedious as the focus shifts between the rather sluggish search for answers and cryptic machinations of the ministers, power brokers who are on the verge of unleash some heinous monetary policy on the world.  There’s a message here about the evils of the power brokers that run our world – but it’s a sentiment that feels all too clunky, devoid of any real grounding or detail.

The performances are great and the direction is solid if not occasionally self-indulgent, but the script falls flat.  The characters, like the central narrative, lack depth.  The dialogue is, at times, heavy-handed and borderline embarrassing.

It all builds to an ambiguous and unsatisfying ending with no clear answers marked by one of the most ridiculous scenes I’ve ever seen in which the priest seemingly disappears in full view of a group of mourners after they are all distracted by a passing bird.

Nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is, The Confessions final transition – an Iris Shot reminiscent of old-timey cartoons, is surprisingly apropos.

Join us next Friday when our Crime Club convenes to discuss the Dutch dark comedy thriller Schneider vs. Bax…

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